April 1, 2014 – In March the Western Slope Conservation Center completed a river restoration project that created new fish habitat and improved river health on the North Fork at the Paonia River Park. The project created a low-flow river channel, pools, and boulder clusters that will protect fish habitat during the late summer months when warm temperatures and low-flow conditions threaten fish survival. The fish habitat enhancement project is part of a larger effort to improve public access and recreational fishing at the park.
Fish surveys conducted by Colorado Parks & Wildlife in 2005 indicate that the fishery in the North Fork at the Paonia River Park includes wild rainbow and brown trout along with native bluehead sucker, flannelmouth sucker, speckled dace, and mottled sculpin. While the River Park boasts a surprisingly diverse native fishery, limited public access and poor habitat prevent the North Fork from being fully utilized as a recreational fishery.
To restore fish habitat, the Conservation Center focused on narrowing the river channel and creating pools for fish in a popular segment of the North Fork near the mouth of Minnesota Creek. The channel was narrowed from 120 feet to 60 feet by stabilizing a gravel bar that was in danger of being washed away during spring runoff. The gravel bar was re-graded and is held in place by buried tree trunks and live willow cuttings which will slow flows and trap silt rich with native cottonwood and willow seeds. The narrow channel along with the newly installed boulder clusters will create deep pools and cold water refuge necessary for fish to survive the late season low-flow conditions.
The project was funded by grants from Colorado Parks & Wildlife, the Colorado Healthy Rivers Fund, and the Jared Polis Gift Fund.
This most recent restoration project complements an extensive river restoration project that the Conservation Center completed in November 2012 in partnership with the Minnesota Canal and Reservoir Company, Delta Conservation District, Bureau of Reclamation and Colorado Water Conservation Board. That keystone project created 5 acres of wetlands and returned the North Fork to a single meandering channel.
The Paonia River Park currently provides the only developed public access to the North Fork River. This fish habitat restoration project is a hallmark development in the ongoing reclamation of a former in-stream gravel mine into a healthy river ecosystem and community river park. The Conservation Center recently completed a Trail Master Plan that will guide the development of a trail network and other improvements at the park scheduled for 2014 – including an ADA ramp, limited mobility trails, and an artistic screen fence to buffer the view of the gravel operation next to the park.Category:
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